Life on the family farm in Yorkshire is mostly about “getting on with it” for young Johnny Saxby, who’s plainly miserable.

His father has had a stroke so it’s up to Johnny to pick up an even larger share of the load of tending sheep and other chores until the arrival of a Romanian immigrant makes things easier and so much more complicated.

Johnny drowns his sorrows in beer, weed and casual gay sex without even a “thank you, man” after the “wham bam.”

Director Francis Lee, who also wrote the screenplay, lets the story unspool at a leisurely pace and he’s chosen a fine lead in Josh O’Connor as the tormented Johnny, who soon meets his match in Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu), who doesn’t let racial slurs like “gyppo” go unanswered.

There’s some full frontal nudity and the first sex scene between the two is both astonishingly erotic and unlike any you’ve ever seen.

Lee also has a fine eye for the majestic Yorkshire. It’s only with Gheorge’s help that Johnny begins to perceive the stark beauty all around him.

Combining gritty realism with poignancy, the result is a film that is exceptionally moving.

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